Tobacco Commission provides $25 million grant for new medical college

King College has received a $25 million grant from the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission to develop a medical college in Southwest Virginia.

The money represents the largest sum granted by the commission in its 10-year history. King College must match the grant through its own fund raising and meet other requirements set by the commission.

The first class of students is expected to enroll in the medical college in 2012.

King College, based in Bristol, Tenn., announced plans to open a medical school last year. College President Greg Jordan told the Bristol Herald-
Courier that the school will be built “in close proximity” to the Bristol Regional Medical Center in Bristol, Tenn., but declined to be more specific. Wellmont Health System, which operates the hospital, had announced earlier that it would be a clinical partner with the medical school.

A study by medical education consultant projects that the medical school will create 535 full-time jobs with an economic impact of $74.4 million by 2016.

The Association of American Medical Schools expects the number of physicians per 100,000 population to drop 27 percent between 2000 and 2030. By 2020, King College says, 6,500 physicians will be needed in a five-state region near Bristol.